Vanguard S2 in .308Win -- Any reasons NOT to buy one??

skimmer

skimmer

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I'm looking for a rifle to round out my .30-30 and I'm pretty much sold on the Vanguard S2 in .308.

Any reason not to buy one? I don't have much money and I don't want to regret the purchase later.

This will be a MR/LR target and my heavy hunting gun.


Whaddya think? Any input is helpful.
 
I have 5 Vanguard Rifles, 3 - S1's and 2 - S2's. They are great rifles....solid, accurate, and ergonomically good as well.

Buy with confidence. Dave
 
Do not buy an S2……….. but two or more.

I love mine ( 7 08 ) but I never get to use it as my son won't let go of it when we go hunting.
 
kamlooky said:
I type present tense, et tu? You type past tense............. so "is" is more better than "would"..... :wave:...BOO
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All joking aside I have shot a truck-load of big game animals over the last 40-some years with rifles chambered from 22-250 up to 340 WBY and the one thing they all have in common is that they died. "Arguments" about what is the "best cartridge" are good for entertainment around the campfire - or on the internet - but when the time come to kill something it is "where" you put the hole rather than "what" cut the hole.
 
Money is an issue for me too, plus I'm cheap. I just bought my fourth vanguard a couple of weeks ago, that's four in the last year. I'm convinced these rifles are the best bang for your buck. Even though they're considered entry level there is nothing "cheap" about them. I'm quite convinced the only reason that they are priced the way they are is because they are built in Japan (the actions at least) and the Japanese are the masters of precision machinery and can pump out quality product more efficiently than elsewhere.
 
If you like it and can afford it, it will be a good choice. The only reason I can think of for not buying one is if it you are price-concious. There are guns that cost less and are good enough. But if you can afford better than "good enough", it's nice to have.
 
The S2 is a well designed and engineered gun... and the .308 cartridge is... well... well designed and engineered... the two together makes perfect sense.
 
'boo said:
all joking aside i have shot a truck-load of big game animals over the last 40-some years with rifles chambered from 22-250 up to 340 wby and the one thing they all have in common is that they died. "arguments" about what is the "best cartridge" are good for entertainment around the campfire - or on the internet - but when the time come to kill something it is "where" you put the hole rather than "what" cut the hole.
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so true ! ;) RJ
 
Good choice. The Vanguard is one of my favorites, as far as new production factory rifles go. Better choice than a 700 SPS IMO, nicer fit'n finish than a Savage.
 
I bought my first Vanguard awhile back, mostly just out of curiousity to see what I could do with a $400 rifle project-wise. Ended up with 8 of them somehow, with somehow loosely translated to "Buying them for $325". The projects were just bedding them into Boyds stocks and a little do-it-yourself trigger massaging. Truth to be told, they didn't need the stocks either but a Boyds prairie hunter makes them come alive for 100 bucks.

I was impressed enough by the first 6 that I got two S2s in the Lazerguard stocks with gleaming walnut, polish and blueing that could easily be used for signalling spacecraft. The basic platform is so good, works so well and consistently shoots so well that paying Weatherby/Howa a little extra to finish building it seemed in order. Did I mention the 1" guarantee?


A few design features that may or may not matter to you are a flat bottomed forged action with integral recoil lug and one piece forged and field strippable bolt. Things like that are a holdback to an early time when it was more important to make things right than to make them cheap. The bottom metal is a bit cheesey, and it is possible to break the bolt-stop screw if you try, but you can't have everything.
 
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I am a fan of Weatherby's and I'm debating between the Varmint and the Carbine. I think they are among the best values on the market today. So here's the downside...

There's a limited aftermarket parts and accessories. The barrel is not free floated. Its either 3+1 or 5+1 depending on the caliber.

Cheers,

FF
 
I have one and its a great rifle. haven't shot it much. I had a leupold mark ar on it but decided I needed another m305 and traded it of. I think now I will mount a leupold vx-1 or something like that.
 
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